ALSO buys networking and security specialist in France

ALSO Holding AG announced today an agreement to acquire DistriWan, a French specialist wifi networking and security distributor headquartered near Lyon. The parties agreed to keep the purchase price confidential. The closing of the transaction is expected in the coming weeks.

“In early 2017, we began to strategically develop our expertise and product range to capitalize on the surging growth of the Internet of Things (“Computing on the Edge”, IoT) with the purchase of two value-added distributors of security and network products, Smartsec in Finland and BeIP in France. Our acquisition of DistriWan is the next critical step on this path. In this way, we will further enhance our offering with the technologies that serve as the basis for the Internet of Things,” said Gustavo Möller-Hergt, CEO of ALSO Holding AG (SIX: ALSN).

DistriWan is a value-added distributor (VAD) that mainly serves larger corporate clients and resellers with a range of networking solutions, often on the basis of CISCO products, as well as a growing security portfolio consisting of several other brands, including Ekahau and Ucopia. With a dedicated and highly trained pre-sales team, DistriWan provides support on the architecture and design of IT Solutions. Founded in 2002, the company employs about 30 people. Its turnover in 2017 amounted to roughly €24 million.

"Over the past seven years, ALSO Holding AG has optimized its business model mix and systematically expanded its service-oriented offering. The acquisition of DistriWan improves our offering in the relevant security solutions segment and provides us access to an even broader customer base. We are thus strengthening our presence in the market both regionally and in terms of our offering,” said Mr. Möller-Hergt.